Bayer and the Canadian Vascular Network (CVN) Announce the 2016 Research Fellowship Awards

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 17, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Vascular Network (CVN) and Bayer are pleased to announce that Dr. Jason Weatherald (University of Calgary) and Dr. Don Thiwanka Dilshan Wijeratne (Queen's University) are the recipients of a partnered research fellowship providing recognition and salary support to outstanding Canadian physician-researchers with an academic interest in Pulmonary Hypertension (PH).

The Fellowship will provide funding for a final year of training and/or salary support for a clinician-researcher within the first five (5) years of their first staff appointment.

"Bayer is an organization driven by our mission, Science for a Better Life and the research fellowship is another shining example of how we put this mission into practice," says Dr. Shurjeel Choudhri, Senior Vice President and Head, Medical and Scientific Affairs Bayer. "We know that supporting future researchers and scientists in the area of pulmonary hypertension will fuel innovation, improving the lives of Canadians."

The CVN is a multi-disciplinary, pan-Canadian group of researchers committed to improving the health of all Canadians through innovative and effective prevention and detection of vascular conditions. By working together, investigators in the CVN aim to break down barriers between disciplines and vascular diseases.

"On behalf of the CVN, we are thrilled that this year we were able to support two outstanding young investigators," says Dr. Duncan Stewart, Scientific Director, Canadian Vascular Network. "This is an exciting time for PH research and we look forward to working with the 2016 Fellows."

The 2016 recipients are as follows:

Dr. Jason Christopher Weatherald

Respirologist, Alberta Health Services

Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Respirology, University of Calgary

Dr. Don Thiwanka Dilshan Wijeratne

RCPSC Specialist

Assistant Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine, Queen's University

About Bayer in CanadaBayer Canada is a Canadian subsidiary of Bayer AG with headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario (Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health) and Calgary, Alberta (Crop Science). Founded in 1863, Bayer AG is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen.

With more than 1,500 employees across the country, in 2015, Bayer had sales of $1.8 billion and invested $121 million in research and development in Canada. Globally, Bayer AG had sales of €42.2 billion and invested €3.6 billion in research and development.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

About The Canadian Vascular Network (CVN)The Canadian Vascular Network is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funded Emerging Network launched by the Government of Canada; part of a national coordinated strategy to evaluating and resolving specific challenges in the area of vascular health. The Network brings together Canada's best minds in vascular research, including researchers and stakeholders with expertise in basic scientific discovery to health services and population health.

Canada's approach to vascular disorders has traditionally been focused on addressing individual conditions or diseases. The Canadian Vascular Network represents Canada's first comprehensive initiative to bring researchers and partners across disciplines together to tackle all vascular diseases together. The Network's priority areas include:

Integrated research: Building on existing Canadian efforts to develop a suite of integrated, multi-disciplinary research projects aimed at:

Identifying early warning signs of vascular diseases such as dementia (Theme 1)

Capacity generation: Developing a new generation of researchers and clinicians focused on integrated approaches to vascular conditions via their involvement in network research and in specialized training programs.

Knowledge translation: Leveraging the breadth of network participants, partners and end-users to implement evidence-based practices and policies for integrated approaches to vascular conditions.